Squatters try to bring life back to abandoned pub in Barkingside

Derelict: the boarded-up frontage of the Dr Johnson pub in Barkingside

Squatters have taken over a derelict Grade II-listed pub in a bid to re-open it for the community.

They’re hoping to agree a deal with Spirit Pub Company, which owns The Doctor Johnson pub in Barkingside, north-east London.

Guardians: Gee and his fellow squatters hope to strike a deal with the Spirit Pub Company in a bid to return the Dr Johnson to use by the local community

Police attended the pub — which has been empty for three years — but they were allowed to stay as it is legal to squat in a commercial property. Squatter ‘Gee’, 41, said he represents a group called Suspenses Property Guardians and is living in the pub with three other men.